Friday, December 27, 2019

Paul Derengowski and the Nature of Prophecy


In a recent work, after claiming that D&C 84 is an example of a false prophecy by Joseph Smith, Paul Derengowski, an anti-Mormon author and Calvinist, wrote:

The problems with the explanations or excuses for this prophecy that did not come to pass is that they do not make sense if the Mormon believed that God and Jesus are omnipotent, superior beings that they claimed them to be. If sinners can halt God’s plans so easily, then just what kind of God is God? (Paul Derengowski, Muhammad and Joseph Smith, Jr.: Spirit-Born Brothers [St. Polycarp Publishing House, 2019], 350)

Comments like this only prove how intellectually disingenuous Derengowski truly is. Firstly, he is a Calvinist, so believes God has foreordained every single act that has and will happen. And yet, in spite of his belief in the formal sufficiency of the Bible (a la the false doctrine of Sola Scriptura [See my book-length treatment Not By Scripture Alone: A Latter-day Saint Refutation of Sola Scriptura]) and his Reformed theology, he must ignore instances where biblical prophets uttered prophecies (many of which were uttered with no contingencies provided!) never taking place (and will never take place). For a full discussion, see:


To give an additional example not in the above article, note how in Micah 3:12, the prophet predicts the inevitable downfall of Jerusalem. This passage provides the only unambiguous instance in the Hebrew Bible of a prophetic message being specifically referred to in another prophetic collection, for it is discussed in Jer 26:18-19. Jerusalem, however, had not fallen; but this does not mean that Micah was dismissed or condemned as a false prophet on the grounds that his prophecy had not been fulfilled, as Derengowski's reading would require. Rather, the claim is made that Hezekiah’s repentance had led Yahweh to change his mind and spare the city, and such a claim cannot readily be refuted. With his commitment to biblical inerrancy and sufficiency, Derengowski is certainly in no position to dispute it. For a discussion of this and other issues, see Richard J. Coggins, "Prophecy--True and False" in heather A. McKay and David J.A. Clines, eds. Of Prophets' Visions and the Wisdom of Sages: Essays in Honor of R. Norman Whybray on his Seventieth Birthday (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press), 80-94.


Now, if Derengowski were to be consistent, he would have to admit either (1) he is wrong in his claims about the nature of prophecy or (2) he would have to argue against the Bible and biblical prophets, too. Indeed, we could rework Derengowski’s comments thusly:

The problems with the explanations or excuses of these false prophecies that did not come to pass does not make sense if the Reformed Protestant believed that God and Jesus are omnipotent, superior being that they claimed them to be, especially in light of Calvinism teaching God has foreordained all events that will come to pass. If sinners (who are totally depraved, per the T of TULIP) can halt God's plans to easily, then just what kind of God is God in Calvinism???


 In addition, on D&C 84 (and D&C 87, a prophecy Derengowski also harps on), see:



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